The NFL and its security team have prepared for the reaction should a player come out as gay. / LM Otero, AP

by Erik Brady, USA TODAY Sports

by Erik Brady, USA TODAY Sports

The NHL announced a partnership with a gay rights advocacy group Thursday. Other leagues are also taking steps on inclusion. The NFL's, NBA's and Major League Baseball's collective bargaining agreements ban discrimination based on sexual orientation.

NFL spokesman Greg Aiello said the league's rookie symposiums will include sessions on inclusion and tolerance. He also said NFL senior vice president of player engagement Troy Vincent met last week with three organizations representing the LGBT community, including You Can Play, the organization that is partnering with the NHL.

Should an NFL player or players come out, "Our league and team security people would be ready to monitor any kind of public reaction that might not be appropriate, including scrubbing social media" for potential threats, Aiello said. "We would assist the player in dealing with any adverse public reaction of any type, if there is any. Hopefully there wouldn't be and it would be a non-issue, which it should be."